Notes: Roberto Luongo joins Tim Thomas in Florida

Share via e-mail

Roberto Luongo thought his contract made him untradeable, but he was mistaken.

Associated Press
March 05, 2014

Roberto Luongo thought he was untradeable. The Panthers found a way to bring him back to Florida.

After nearly eight years apart, Luongo was the centerpiece of a four-player trade between Florida and the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday. The Panthers sent goalie Jacob Markstrom — once considered their future in net — and forward Shawn Mattias to the Canucks for Luongo and forward Steven Anthony.

Now the question in Florida becomes what to do with Thomas, who started in net Tuesday night at TD Garden as the Panthers faced the Bruins.

Thomas has a no-trade clause, and Tallon expected to meet with him no later than Wednesday morning to see how the 39-year-old wanted to proceed.

Around the start of the game, Luongo tweeted that he and Thomas would be a ‘‘dream team’’ together.

‘‘I'll see what he would like us to do,’’ Tallon said. ‘‘Goaltending’s pretty solid with those two guys.’’

Tallon was also busy Tuesday, sending defenseman Mike Weaver to Montreal for a fifth-round draft choice in 2015 and signing forward Brad Boyes to a two-year contract extension.

MacDonald to Flyers

The Islanders are sending veteran defenseman Andrew MacDonald to the Metropolitan Division rival Flyers for a pair of draft picks and minor league center Matt Mangene. MacDonald, who was considered to be a possible trade target of the Bruins, will bolster the Flyers’ defense as they push for a playoff spot.

Capitals acquire Penner

Washington acquired forward Dustin Penner from the Ducks for a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft. The 31-year-old Penner gives the Capitals a potential top-line left wing as they make a push to get into playoff position with 20 games to go in the regular season. Penner is set to become a free agent this summer. He signed a one-year, $2 million contract last year. He has played for the Kings, Oilers, and the Ducks over nine seasons. This season, he has 13 goals and 19 assists with Anaheim . . . The Capitals also sent forwards Martin Erat and John Mitchell to the Coyotes for forward Chris Brown, defenseman Rostislav Klesla, and a fourth-round selection in the 2015 draft.

Wild get Bryzgalov

Minnesota traded a fourth-round draft pick to the Oilers for goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. The 33-year-old Russian had a 5-8-5 record in 20 games this season with a 3.01 goals-against average, and he’s on a one-year contract, allowing the Wild to acquire him at relatively low cost. Bryzgalov’s career record is 213-157-50, including a 42-20-6 mark for the Coyotes during the 2009-10 season, his best in the NHL.

Defense for Chicago

The Blackhawks acquired defensemen David Rundblad and Mathieu Brisebois in a trade with the Coyotes. The defending Stanley Cup champions parted with a second-round selection in this year’s draft to complete the trade . . . The Ducks acquired defenseman Stephane Robidas from the Stars for a conditional fourth-round pick in this year’s draft . . . Goaltender Anton Khudobin and the Hurricanes agreed to a $4.5 million, two-year contract.